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The Last Void – State Of Mind – Review

This is a classic example of a debut album that shows flashes of potential but isn’t quite there yet. The Last Void take a lot of influence from the sounds of Australian band Karnivool but have a rare female fronted prog setup from Costa Rica.

There may be an underlying stigma towards some female singers in metal and a lot of the time it isn’t justified. However, I just can’t seem to adjust to Adriana Munoz’s vocals. There’s no doubt she has a fantastic clean voice, but I’m not sure it suits the style of music. It seems to tame the energy. In many of the interludes she is more at home (in the middle of Survive) but overall it is out of place.

Metal Mind begins in a prog thrash fashion that more resembles the excessively speedy guitar riffs of Mastodon. But the song changes into a completely different verse with Munoz’s quietened voice almost drowned out and a general feeling of disjointedness.

There’s complexity in the actual guitar work itself, but it seems even the second time round with their breakdown of furious riffs, the song continues back into the chorus with no delicate thought.

The off-beat drum verses with intervals of distorted guitar create that Karnivool-esque sound in Kindergarden Stuff. Unfortunately, like the rest of the album, the song only hints that The Last Void have a seed that (with their technical ability and some progressive nurturing) can blossom.

There’s nothing saying that some ardent progsters won’t enjoy State Of Mind, but there are other bands that are worth looking at first. Still, keep an eye on them. The pieces of the jigsaw are not quite together yet but this is their debut: expect something special second time around.